Genessis 32:26 - Bless Me

I woke up this morning and immediately started praying....

Thank You Jesus for....
Your Holy Spirit coming down in the service yesterday
The ones who visited at church yesterday
Safe travels for me yesterday
My time with Miss Bella today
My Daddy and Mom having a good night


I pray for....
Strength for the ones dealing with new cancer diagnosis
Strength for those recovering from surgery
The surgeon and those who will care for Doc this week as he has his second surgery
The two who are struggling with their addictions
Lizzy and her family as they have Grandma Gossard's funeral

The Lord said to him near morning, “’Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he (Jacob) said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” (Genesis 32:26)

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me, blessing me, and speaking to me.  It is so awesome to be Your servant.  I praise Your Holy Name for all the ways You show Yourself to me.  Lord, just as Jacob prayed....Bless me, break me....that's what I desire.  Amen.

Psalm 25:4-5 - "Waiting Here For You"

I woke up this morning singing Christy Nockel's song "Waiting Here For You" and immediately started thinking about corporate worship.  I pray people will go into corporate worship today with the expectation of being blessed.  I pray the Lord will come down upon His Church in a mighty way with His Holy Spirit moving in and through the people.  I pray people will look to the Lord and be able to say "And we're desperate for Your presence..." because "All we need is You!"  Woo hoo!  I know people worship in different ways.  Some are loud, some are quiet.  Some are weeping, some are laughing.  But it doesn't matter how we worship.  What matters is that we do worship.  The Lord desires our worship.  He wants to bless us through our worship.  He wants to see and hear us worship Him.  The desire of His heart is that we wait for Him to lead us.

As the song says, we need to wait before the Lord.  Waiting is not a common practice for most humans.  It's hard to wait when you want to see something happen.  It's hard to wait when you are expecting something.  But if we don't wait on His Holy Spirit to lead us we will miss the blessings He has for us.  So many times I've tried to figure things out on how something was going to get worked out when I didn't have to.  All I had to do was pray for His Guidance and then wait on the direction given to me.  I love Psalm 25:4-5.  "Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me: for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all day."  That is exactly where I want to be in my relationship with the Lord.  Waiting for His direction.  Waiting for His blessings.  

Dear Jesus,  I pray as we gather today for corporate worship that Your Holy Spirit would come in a mighty way.  I pray against the enemy having any foothold within the people.  I pray against distractions in the service.  Lord, enable each and every person to worship You.  I thank You, Father, that You accept our worship no matter how it is given.  I also thank You Father for having freedom in worship.  Bless us Lord as we bless You.  Thank You Jesus for being My Director!  Amen.

Waiting on God Old Testament Scriptures
Genesis 49:18   I have waited for Your salvation, O Lord.
Psalm 25:3   Let none that wait on You be ashamed.
Psalm 25:4-5   Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me: for You are the God of my salvation; on You do I wait all day.
Psalm 25:21   Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait for You.
Psalm 27:14   Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.
Psalm 31:24   Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 33:20, 22   Our soul waits for the Lord: He is our help and our shield. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we wait for You.
Psalm 37:7, 9   Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him... Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Psalm 37:34   Wait on the Lord and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land. Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 59:9   I will wait for You, oh You my strength, for God is my defense.
Psalm 62:1   Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:5-6   My soul, wait silently for God alone; my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation.
Psalm 106:13   They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel.
Psalm 130:5-6   I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning - yes, more than they that watch for the morning.
Isaiah 8:17   I will wait upon the Lord, that hides His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.
Isaiah 25:9   And it shall be said in that day, Look, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
Isaiah 26:8-9   Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, have we waited for You. The desire of our soul is for Your name. With my soul I have desired You in the night. Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.
Isaiah 30:18   Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; blessed are all those who wait for Him.
Isaiah 40:31   They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 49:23   You will know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.

Isaiah 64:4   For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.
Lamentations 3:25   The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:26   It is good that one should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Micah 7:7   Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Hosea 12:6   So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually. 

"Waiting Here For You" - Christy Nockel's
If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you

You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation 
You’ve loved us from the start

CHORUS
Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

CHORUS

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, singing alleluia, alleluia

CHORUS

Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore 
We're singing Alleluia

I'm singing Alleluia
Waiting here for you 
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore 
Singing Alleluia
Singing Alleluia

II Corinthians 4:7-18 - My Joy

Lord,

Today is one of them days I would just like to run away....perhaps to a beach with bright sunshine and the the sound of the waves.  Are You sure this is where we are suppose to be?  Are you sure You haven't called us to a church close to the beach?  I know, I know...we are right where we are suppose to be.  I think my problem is the whole schedule thing.  Here it is April and I would like to be planning a vacation to look forward to but instead we are facing Doc's second knee surgery, General Assembly, District Assembly, and VBS.  I'm not saying I don't like those things but I am saying it will be hard to get through everything.  OK...I'm through whining...sorry...but remember You made me the way I am.  LOL

I do want to thank You for the check-up with Dr Berke yesterday.  "Boring"....yes, that's how he described me.  I don't think I've ever been described quite like that but in this case "boring" is good.  Thank You for the way You have given me Your Strength to get through the ups and downs with the MS.  Thank You for the opportunities You have put before me to share You with others with the MS.  Thank You for the endurance You give me on "bad" days.  I am totally amazed that it's been 19 years since I heard the words from Dr Cochrane, "Oh, hon, I think you have MS."  The day before hearing the ER doctor say "stroke" was bad enough but MS?  I sure didn't know what to expect and every day is a challenge, some more so than others.  I know You have a reason for it and whatever You want to happen through it, I'm ready.

Father, these next few weeks will be different in our lives with Doc's surgery.  I pray for You to strengthen both of us mentally, emotionally, and physically.  I pray You will enable him to be You to the ones who care for him in the hospital as he did before.  I pray for Your guidance of the surgeon's hands and I pray for each and every caretaker to have a gentle touch with him.  Lord, You heal through doctors, medicine, and miraculously....Your will Lord, Your will.  

Lord, today I feel like I'm rambling on...You already know what's on my heart but I just needed to get it out.  I ask that You enable me to stay focused on You with whatever is ahead.  Keep me in Your Presence, Lord.  Enable me to knock the enemy down when he comes knocking as he did last night.  You are greater than him...woo hoo!  

Thank You for taking me to II Corinthians 4:7-18 this morning.  

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

¹³ It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken."^[a] With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. ¹⁵ All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Thank You Lord that I can enjoy joy through everything that comes my way.  I like what I read this morning about the action of joy.  "Not a reaction to an exterior transaction....but the action of the interior movement of the Holy Ghost. It is the joy that allows us to say when we loose a loved one or experience heart ache or pain, that the sorrow is going to endure for a night but JOY is coming........after all the things I have been through I still have JOY."  Woo hoo!  Lord, keep me so focused that no matter what comes my way I don't react to anything external but instead have Your actions through me.  

Thank You Jesus for being My Joy!

Philippians 4:19 & Romans 8:28 - Conversation with God

Conversation with God this morning...

ME:  Lord, I was so emotional yesterday.  It was horrible.

GOD:  Daughter, I made You with the emotions You have even as you were in your mother's womb.  Emotions are not bad.  The tears you cry are a release that you needed to let go in your current circumstance.

ME:  These are such hard days.

GOD:  I know but I can't say I'm sorry because I have a purpose for them.  There are some who need to draw closer to me.  These days are giving them that chance.

ME:  I will try harder.

GOD:  Harder doing what, Daughter?  You are doing just fine.  You just need to lean on My Strength.  I want you to remember what you tell others.  "Sheila can do all things through Me because I give her strength."  I gave you that verse 19 years ago to enable you to get through the MS diagnosis.  Today I am giving it to you to enable you to hang on during these tough days with your earthly Daddy.

ME:  Thank You, Lord.  Thank You for loving me enough to care about every little detail of my life.  Thank You for my earthly Daddy who has been a wonderful example to me of how to have faith that You are there at all times.  Thank You for giving me the MS 19 years ago to teach me how to depend upon You more.  Thank You for leading me to the Encounter in Illinois that started my path on living in Your Presence.  Thank You for being such a wonderful Heavenly Daddy.  Thank You for waking me up singing "Your Love Never Fails" again today.

GOD:  I want you to remember that I am always here for You, Sweetie.  Hang onto the words not only in this song but also in My Word.  "And we know that in all things I work for the good of those who love me, who have been called according to My purpose."   Daughter, never forget the call on your life.  I have called you to be many things but your main purpose is to be My servant.  I have heard many people say "I got your back" and that's exactly what I do for you.  I am always here.  I am always ready to listen.  I am always protecting you from harm, sometimes even harm you are unaware of.  I gave You that message through Ashley yesterday, didn't I?

ME:  Yes, Lord.

GOD:  Did those four little words give you peace?

ME:  Yes, Lord.

GOD:  Do you see how I take care of You?

ME:  Yes, Lord.

GOD:  You are one of my children who I love dearly.  I am so proud of you.  

ME:  Thank You, Father.

GOD:  Today, as you travel, I will be with you.  There is one thing I want you to remember.  

ME:  What's that?

GOD:  Be a good example of Me today as you are with and talk with others.

ME:  I will do my best.

GOD:  That is all I can ask for.

ME:  Thank You again for everything You do for me and the way You love me.

GOD:  Thank You for everything you do for me and the way you love Me.


Wow...what a way to start off my day.  Having a chat with my Heavenly Father.  I was thinking about how getting a call from my Earthly Father means so much.  He's having such tough days yet yesterday when he was feeling a little better he called and that made my day. I treasure each and every call, no matter how short they are.  I'm thankful for the good relationship I have with my Earthly Daddy.  It enables me to understand how to have a good relationship with my Heavenly Father better.  I will hold close to Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  I will also hold close to Romans 8:28, ""And we know that in all things I work for the good of those who love me, who have been called according to My purpose."  The Lord has told me He has a purpose for these tough times.  I know my job as His servant is to pray for those He is drawing near to Him.  I'm am thankful to be His servant and to be living in His Presence.

Psalm 30:5b - "Your Love Never Fails"

I woke up this morning singing "Your Love Never Fails" and was so thankful for the peace that came along with it.  I just told Mordecei, "Sometimes Mordecei I just don't know how I will get through some things."  The Lord reminded me I'm not alone and I don't have to get through anything without His Strength.  Thank You Jesus!  "There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning..."  The pain I am feeling right now can be so overwhelming but I know I have to depend upon the Lord to help me through it.  It's just so hard to see my earthly Daddy in such pain and agony.  I know the day is drawing nearer for him to go see my heavenly Daddy.  What a time of celebration it will be for him to be reunited with loved ones already there.  I know he will find his eternal joy but oh my it's so hard to live through this.  One minute crying and the next feeling stronger is so hard on the emotions.  But I must hang onto the Lord and His strength.  I'm so thankful I know where my eternal home is.  During the night as I prayed for the situation the Lord impressed upon me that I needed to really pray for my family members who don't know Him.  I can't imagine living without having the Lord to depend upon.

Dear Jesus, 

I am so thankful for Your strength to lean upon, especially in times like what we are experiencing right now.  I am so thankful I know where my eternal home is.  Lord, take my tears and bless them in a mighty way.  Lord, enable me to draw upon Your Strength during these tough days.  Father, thank You for being with my earthly Father as he struggles with his physical ailments.  Thank You for the strength You continue to give Mom as she cares for him.  Lord, thank You that "Your Love Never Fails."  Psalm 30:5b reads, "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning."  Lord, bring that morning soon....  Amen.

Your Love Never Fails - Jesus Culture

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone here in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jesus_culture/

Philippians 4:8 - 10,000 Reasons

I woke up this morning singing "10,000 Reasons" and thought "Woo hoo...thank You Jesus for giving me so much to praise You for!"  "10,000 reasons for my heart to find..."  10,000 is a whole lot of reasons but I bet if I made a list I would have more than 10,000 reasons to praise the Lord.  I also was thinking about how the more praise I give, the less room there is for the enemy to put doubt or discouragement in me.  It's kind of like what I tell the teens about Philippians 4:8.  Junk in, Junk out.  If I put praise into my life, it will flow out of my life.  "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."  YES!  That's the kind of life I love living.  I love praising the Lord and I know the more I seek His Presence, the more I will receive from Him.  "Worship His holy name..."  YES!  The more I worship Him instead of worship worldly things, the more eternal blessings I will receive from Him.  

Lord,
It's a new day.  The song goes, "The sun comes up; It's a new day dawning; It's time to sing Your song again; Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me; Let me be singing when the evening comes."  I don't know what is ahead in this day but I know You do and that's all that matters.  I am praising You as I wake and I will be praising You when I lay my head down to sleep tonight.  Pour out Your Presence upon me....pour out Your Blessings upon me...use me in a mighty way to be Jesus to others today. 
Amen.

Bless the Lord O my soulO my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy name
The sun comes upIt's a new day dawningIt's time to sing Your song againWhatever may pass and whatever lies before meLet me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord O my soulO my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy name
You're rich in love and You're slow to angerYour name is great and Your heart is kindFor all Your goodness I will keep on singing10,000 reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord O my soulO my soulWorship his holy nameSing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy nameAnd on that day when my strength is failingThe end draws near and my time has comeStill my soul will sing Your praise unending10,000 years and then forever moreBless the Lord O my soulO my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy nameBless the Lord O my soulO my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy name (repeat 3x)Sing like never beforeO my soulI'll worship Your holy name (repeat 3x)

Daniel 3:15 - Horns Were Heard

Last night when I was listening to Doc play his guitar and sing I was reminded about an experience I had during Praise and Worship this past Sunday.  As I was worshiping with my eyes closed I suddenly heard a horn with the Praise Team.  I opened my eyes to see who was playing a horn.  We don't have a horn in the Praise Team but it took me by such surprise that I looked.  I can't remember if I heard it for all the songs or not.  "I Am Free"; "Our God"; "Forever Reign"; and "The Stand" were the set.  It was awesome yet not sure what it was.  When I told Doc, he told me to go onto YouTube because there are several videos about people hearing horns where there aren't horns.  It was amazing!  I asked him if him or Adavee had horns playing with their instruments.  He said he didn't so then I called Adavee and she said she didn't either.  I was beginning to think I was either losing my mind or the Lord shared something really special with me.  Thankfully I am not losing my mind because when Adavee told James he said he heard them too!  Wow!  What does it mean?  Why did we hear them?  Daniel 3:15 reads, "Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"  I was so ready to worship on Sunday....I was excited with what had happened with the Lord speaking to one of the teens in my class.  Was God giving me/those who heard a glimpse of a deeper worship?  Were the horns a sign that the end of time on this earth is drawing near as speculated on some of the YouTube videos?  I read on insearchoftruth.com....

Trumpets and horns were used in musical praise; however, they were often used in relation to sounding a battle communication. The blast of a trumpet was used to signal everything from the anointing of a new king (II Samuel 15:10) to the call to battle (Judges 3:27), and from welcoming a holy feast day (Leviticus 23:24) to instructing the host of Israel to begin marching (Numbers 10:2-10). In the absence of megaphones, the sound of trumpets could travel long distances, conveying important messages to large numbers of people. These references are separated, because they deal with the sounds of communication - not the melody of worship.

"...the sounds of communication - not the melody of worship."  I wonder if the horn on Sunday was to get me tuned into when the Holy Spirit gave me direction at altar time.  Doc was preaching on "Hope" and he asked at the end for those who needed prayer for "Hope" to raise their hands.  Immediately, the Holy Spirit told me the enemy was going among the people and putting more discouragement into their hearts.  He told me to wave the white flag.  So I did.  At the same time He was telling me this, He was also telling Doc that the enemy needed to be out of the room.  I thought about getting one of the smaller flags but the Holy Spirit was insistent that it had to be the white flag.  I've always thought of the white flag as showing surrender....  I don't know who needed to surrender to the Lord but I know the enemy was fighting for their soul.  

Lord, I pray today that You will continue to reveal to me more about what You want of me.  I continue to pray for more of You and less of me to show through.  I pray for the ones who raised their hands on Sunday...I pray for them to have You as their Hope.  I pray for the ones who were discouraged by the enemy...I pray for them to realize You are greater than the discouragement put upon them by the enemy.  Lord, would You please give me more insight into the horns that were heard?  In Your Time, In Your Way....it's so exciting to be living for You!  Thank You Jesus for being My Life!